During the year 1845 the Railways were becoming the new form of transport and anyone with money to invest in them could get a return of nearly 4% on their investment. New tracks were being laid everywhere. Towards the end of 1845 two Railway Companies applied to build a line between Walsall and Lichfield.'The South Staffordshire Junction Railway Co', was one and the other was, 'The Trent Valley, Midland and Grand Junction Railway Co'. At the time all new railway routes must have had an Act of Parliament allowing their construction. Because there were 2 companies applying for the same route the Government made it clear that only one route would be allowed and if the 2 Companies continued to press their cases for the route the Committee would give them half the route each and leave them to fight it out.

A compromise was reached and the two companies agreed to amalgamate to form a single company which would be known as, 'The South Staffordshire Railway Company'. The route chosen was the one which had been drawn up by Robert Stephenson, the Grandson of George Stephenson, the inventor of the steam train.The Route was , Walsall - Rushall - Pelsall - Brownhills - Hammerwich - Lichfield.

The railway company appointed a top Engineer, 'John Robinson McClean' he was a 33 year old who was born in Belfast and had been to Glasgow University where he obtained a degree in Mining Engineering and Surveying. This man was to become a real force in the development of Brownhills and District, he was on the same level as Brunel and Thomas Telford, all great Engineers of the time.

The Railway line was officially opened after two and a half years of construction on 9th April 1849. John McClean could see the great potential of the Railway and almost as soon as it had began operating approached the Railway Company with proposals to lease the line. He offered terms which were accepted and so became the first private owner of a railway line in the Country.

The South Staffordshire Railway Company was leased again in 1861 when John McClean leased the line to the,'London & North Western Railway', The L&NWR dissolved The South Staffordshire Railway in 1867 when it was absorbed into the Larger Company. The L&NWR ran trains through Brownhills until 1923 when it was taken over by , The London, Midland & Scottish Railway. It was then Nationalised and became apart of British Transport in 1948.

The last passenger service from Brownhills was on January 18th 1965 when the Station was closed during Lord Beachams infamous destruction of the Railway systems in the Country. The line carried on carrying Freight trains up until 1984 when that too came to an end and the tracks taken up. The line is still there today although it is now overgrown.

There are campaigns in progress to re-open the old railway lines and Brownhills may once again have a Station under the Bridge, who knows?. The nearest Station at the moment is Walsall some 5 miles away, although there are plans to open a new Station in nearby Aldridge.

The L&NWR Railway Station Brownhills C 1910.

The Midland Railway Station on Brownhills Common near the Chester Road around1920.

The Midland Railway line was the last major track to be laid in the area. In 1880 The Midland Railway (Additional Powers) Act was passed. This Act allowed the Midland Railway to build The Walsall Wood Extension Railway which would link Their line from Aldridge to the Cannock Chase and Wolverhampton Railway near the Wilkin area by Chasewater. It turned out to be an expensive venture, with canals, Roads and other Railway Companies property to cross. The canal crossings and the Bridge to cross the South Staffordshire Railway did not pose any problems. The main problem was to build the bridges over the Chester Road and Pelsall Road, because the height of the bridges required by the bye-laws would have meant raising the embankments for the whole length of the railway. A solution was found by lowering the roads that went under the bridges to give the required clearance.
The Railway was completed in 1882 and opened at first to goods trains carrying coal from the pits. Two years later the line was opened to passenger traffic and a station was built on Brownhills Common.
The Railway was not a good profit making business as far as carrying passengers was concerned as the Station was half a mile outside the Town with the South Staffordshire Railway Station being directly at the top of the High Street. This lead to the trains mainly carrying miners to and from the pits. The Loss making line was eventually closed to passenger traffic in 1930. It continued with limited use until 1960 carrying minerals when it closed to all traffic. The track from Chasewater to Walsall Wood was removed and the Bridges also were demolished. Some of the Bridge Parapets still remain and the Blue Bricks of Freakley and Sons which were used throughout the construction of the Track can still be seen.



The remaining span of the Midland Railway Bridge where it crossed the Canal at Swingbridge Farm near Coopers Bridge.

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